Latest news with #O'Byrne
Scoop
a day ago
- Scoop
Soldier Charged With Filming Women During Sex Treated Accusations As A Joke, Court Martial Told
A soldier accused of filming women during sex without their permission laughed about the accusations when confronted about them, a court martial has heard. Corporal Manu Smith is facing three counts of making intimate visual recordings. He has pleaded not guilty. A hearing at the Burnham Military Camp began this morning and is expected to take three days. Smith has been accused of making the recordings of two civilian women, without their knowledge or consent. He has contended he thought he had permission. Prosecutor Flight Lieutenant Hannah O'Byrne told the court both women would say Smith recorded them without asking, and then sent the recordings via Snapchat. Smith treated it as a joke when confronted about the recordings, O'Byrne said. One woman complained she asked him if he had shared the images with others, which he also laughed off, O'Byrne said. One of the women - who had name suppression - gave evidence this morning via audio-visual link. Smith's lawyer Matthew Hague asked her about a chat group involving the woman and others who had dated Smith. The woman joined the group after she and the solider had broken up. She agreed the group's members did not like Smith. Hague asked if it was true the group discussed ways to cause trouble for Smith. The woman accepted the group had discussed it and she raised the sexual images as a way to get Smith in trouble. She wanted him to hurt as much as he had hurt her over the course of their relationship, she said. The woman consented to having sex with Smith, but not to him filming it, she said. Under questioning by Hague, she accepted she had worked with others in chat group on her complaint about Smith. But she said that was only because she was not very good with words. She denied making up the claims and said she thought if there were multiple complaints they were more likely to be believed.
Otago Daily Times
2 days ago
- Otago Daily Times
Soldier who allegedly filmed women during sex treated accusations as a joke, court martial told
Burnham Military Camp. Photo: RNZ A soldier accused of filming women during sex without their permission laughed about the accusations when confronted about them, a court martial has heard. Corporal Manu Smith is facing three counts of making intimate visual recordings. He has pleaded not guilty. A hearing at the Burnham Military Camp began this morning and is expected to take three days. Smith has been accused of making the recordings of two civilian women, without their knowledge or consent. He has contended he thought he had permission. Prosecutor Flight Lieutenant Hannah O'Byrne told the court both women would say Smith recorded them without asking, and then sent the recordings via Snapchat. Smith treated it as a joke when confronted about the recordings, O'Byrne said. One woman complained she asked him if he had shared the images with others, which he also laughed off, O'Byrne said. One of the women - who had name suppression - gave evidence this morning via audio-visual link. Smith's lawyer Matthew Hague asked her about a chat group involving the woman and others who had dated Smith. The woman joined the group after she and the solider had broken up. She agreed the group's members did not like Smith. Hague asked if it was true the group discussed ways to cause trouble for Smith. The woman accepted the group had discussed it and she raised the sexual images as a way to get Smith in trouble. She wanted him to hurt as much as he had hurt her over the course of their relationship, she said. The woman consented to having sex with Smith, but not to him filming it, she said. Under questioning by Hague, she accepted she had worked with others in chat group on her complaint about Smith. But she said that was only because she was not very good with words. She denied making up the claims and said she thought if there were multiple complaints they were more likely to be believed.
NZ Herald
2 days ago
- NZ Herald
Court martial for soldier accused of covertly filming women during sexual encounters
He admits taking the videos and images - but says the women consented, or he genuinely believed they were consenting at the time. The women reject this, saying they had no idea they were being recorded. Court martial proceedings began today for Smith at Burnham Military Camp before Judge Tom Gilbert. A court martial is a military court that tries members of the armed forces for violations of military law. It is a structured legal process, similar to a civilian court, and a decision on guilt or innocence is made by a panel of military members - three in Smith's case. If a defendant is found guilty, punishments can include fines, demotions, or imprisonment. Until today, the Herald could not publish details of the allegations against Smith. Between August and November 2020, he is accused of 'intentionally or recklessly' making an intimate visual recording of a woman. He is further charged with deliberately making intimate recordings of a second woman in November 2020 and December 2020. The alleged civil offences contravene the Armed Forces Disciplinary Act 1971. Judge Tom Gilbert. Photo / Pool The names of women have been suppressed. Both were in new relationships with Smith at the time of the alleged offending. Judge Gilbert also suppressed the specific details of the content of the videos and images. He said the Herald could only describe the content of the material and 'what was engaged in between parties' as 'intimate sexual activity'. Anything outside that description was prohibited. During the trial, the court will hear from both complainants via audio-visual link, and the panel deciding Smith's fate will be shown the intimate recordings in question. A number of other witnesses will also be called. Prosecutor Flight Lieutenant Hannah O'Byrne outlined the Crown case against Smith this morning. Corporal Manu Smith at the Court-martial proceedings. Photo / Pool She said the first woman met Smith in July 2020, and a sexual relationship 'progressed quickly'. During sexual activity at her Christchurch home she 'felt something was off' and when she looked up Smith was 'pointing his cellphone at her'. She told him to stop recording and delete the footage. 'She told him off for recording her and he played it off as a joke,' said O'Byrne. The woman assumed the footage was deleted - but Smith later sent it to her via Snapchat. Snapchat is social messaging app where messages are designed to disappear after being viewed or after a set time 'She told him off again, saying she told him not to do that and it wasn't ok,' said O'Byrne. The woman stopped seeing Smith and reported the matter to the police. The second woman was at Smith's defence house in Burnham when she was recorded. O'Byrne said that during sexual activity,, Smith took three photos of the woman. 'Without her consent - or even time to discuss what was happening. At the time,the she did not realise (photographs were being taken),' said the prosecutor. Prosecutor Flight Lieutenant Hannah O'Byrne. Photo / Pool Smith sent her the images on Snapchat, and she took screenshots. She told him to delete the photos, and he 'played it off as a joke'. Smith sent her the images on Snapchat, and she took screenshots. The pair engaged in sexual activity a few days later. 'She could not see what he was doing,' said O'Byrne. 'She did not realise she was being filmed.' Later on, she received a message from Smith on Snapchat. Given his messaging history, she decided to turn on screen recording before she opened it. It was the footage of her taken during sex. 'She asked if he had sent it to anyone else. He played it off as a joke,' said O'Byrne. The second woman reported the incident to police, handing over the screen recordings. Defence lawyer Matthew Hague. Photo / Pool The court heard that during their relationships with Smith, they had willingly and knowingly sent him explicit images and video, including naked photos. These were sent via Snapchat. Both vehemently reject Smith's explanation that they consented to him filming and or photographing them. The first woman began giving evidence before lunch. 'In the video, you can see me trying to swipe his phone away, telling him to put it away,' she said. She said there had been no discussion before sex about whether Smith could record. When she told him off, he was 'very blase'. 'He just said 'no, it's all good',' she recalled. She said she felt 'pretty gross'. 'My privacy had been invaded,' she said. In a brief opening address, Smith's lawyer, Matthew Hague, told the panel that his client denied all the charges. 'Let me be clear… what you've heard… is just allegations,' he said. 'It is not evidence. At present… the accused must be presumed innocent." The court martial is set to continue for at least three days. Anna Leask is a senior journalist who covers national crime and justice. She joined the Herald in 2008 and has worked as a journalist for 19 years with a particular focus on family and gender-based violence, child abuse, sexual violence, homicides, mental health and youth crime. She writes, hosts and produces the award-winning podcast A Moment In Crime, released monthly on
Sky News AU
5 days ago
- Politics
- Sky News AU
'An Important lesson': Tasmanian no confidence motion highlights ‘damage' that occurs when Labor and Greens align, MP claims
The decision to back a no confidence motion in Tasmanian Premier Jeremy Rockliff highlights the 'damage' that occurs when Labor gets together with the Greens, a federal MP has claimed. Tasmania is preparing to head to its second election in just 14 months after a narrow majority of MPs voted to support a no confidence motion in Liberal Premier Jeremy Rockliff. Labor's no confidence motion passed the Tasmanian lower house on a vote of 18 to 17 after Speaker Michelle O'Byrne – a Labor MP – broke with parliamentary convention to support the motion. Premier Rockliff has slammed the 'recklessness' of the motion and is asking the state's Lieutenant-Governor to call an election (Tasmanian Governor Barbara Barker is currently out of the state). Speaking to Sky News Australia on Thursday, federal Liberal MP Zoe McKenzie said the events in Tasmania were an 'important lesson' for the rest of the country. 'I think the message that the rest of the country should take is this is what happens when Labor gets together with the Greens,' she said 'We're seeing what's happening in Canberra at the moment in relation to the taxing of superannuation… now we've seen what damage they can do in Tasmania, and that's an important lesson for everyone to take away from today.' Ms McKenzie said an election was the last thing Tasmanians need. 'They've just come off the back of a federal election, and they only had their own state election 14 months ago,' she said. 'Elections are expensive, they are distracting, they are divisive, (and this comes) at a time exactly when the Tasmanian people need certainty, need strong measures to address cost of living.' The no confidence motion, put forward by Labor leader Dean Winter, was also backed by the five Greens MPs, as well as independents Craig Garland and Kristie Johnston, and Jacqui Lambie Network MP Andrew Jenner. Joining the Liberals in opposing the motion were independent David O'Byrne, as well as ex-Lambie Network turned independent MPs Rebekah Pentland and Miriam Beswick. Explaining her decision to back the motion, Speaker O'Byrne acknowledged there is a longstanding Westminster parliamentary convention that the speaker should use their casting vote to maintain the status quo, which would mean voting down the motion. However in an emotional speech, Ms O'Byrne said there was a tradition of speakers breaking the parliamentary convention, and that as a Labor MP she could not be expected to vote in favour of a Liberal government. "I am a member of the Labor Party. When I was elected to this position, it was made clear to this house and the public that despite no longer attending the caucus and strategy meetings of the Labor Party, that I would always vote with them,' she said. "No one in this chamber could realistically expect me to provide confidence to a Liberal government.' 'If I was not in the chair and the government had held this position, the vote would be won on the floor… the die is cast and the state is on the inexorable path to another early election.' Premier Rockliff described the events as a 'sad day' yet accepted the parliament's decision. 'In my personal opinion, this is a very sad day for Tasmania, it is a sad day as well because I put a lot on the line for this parliament,' Mr Rockliff lamented. 'It wasn't easy to get a 35-seat parliament over the line, but I believed it was the right thing to do. And I still believe it was the right thing to do. The embattled premier also took aim at the state's Labor leader for proposing the motion. 'The Leader of the Opposition has not only diminished this parliament, himself, his party. You might get rid of me today, but I'll tell you what, they are coming for you as well because you will always be known as a wrecker,' he said. 'I will also advise that if Mr Winter cannot command a majority in the place, most reluctantly, we must go to an election.' This seems all but certain since the Labor leader has ruled out an offer to form a minority government with the Greens.
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Armed security coming to Grand Boulevard in the downtown loop
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Downtown Council of Kansas City Vice President Sean O'Byrne said armed security guards could be coming soon to Grand Boulevard. O'Byrne said he wants three armed guards to roam Grand Boulevard from 6th Street on the north to 14th Street on the south from 2 p.m. until midnight. See the latest headlines in Kansas City and across Kansas, Missouri He told FOX4 the guards will work with their safety ambassadors, hitting areas of the Central Business District. They'll interact with existing security that looks over bus stops. He also said the guards will provide security to the hotels in that area. 'And that is as a result of activities that have been acting in and around there,' O'Byrne said to FOX4. 'It is all crimes of nuisance, and it's property crimes. It is not violent crime that we're talking about.' O'Byrne said they're rolling out this plan in the first part of next month. O'Byrne was at FOX4 Friday to be on Sunday, May 25's episode of '4 The People.' FOX4 will post it online later that day. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
